In a clinical examination such as a blood test and a biochemical test, quality control is important to secure reliability of a test. The quality control is performed by measuring a quality control sample (also called a quality control material) same as a biological substance or similar to the biological substance, and monitoring its measurement result. This quality control includes a method of monitoring whether or not a stable measurement result is obtained by measuring the same quality control sample every day at the same facility (internal quality control), and a method of aggregating the measurement results of the quality control sample at a plurality of facilities and performing the quality control (external quality control).
In the case of performing the external quality control, for example, quality control data sent from the plurality of facilities is aggregated by classifying it per each quality control sample, and a population per each quality control sample is formed. Then, in each facility, a difference between an average of the quality control data of an overall population and the quality control data of this facility is monitored.
Here, the external quality control needs to collect the quality control data from the plurality of facilities and aggregate such collected data. Therefore, collection of the quality control data is performed through a network. The quality control system using the network is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,937,964 and 6,629,060 and International Publication No. WO2002/052278.
The external quality control is not necessarily performed uniformly. Namely, there are various methods for aggregating the quality control data and viewing methods of the quality control results. For example, a method of obtaining an average value of the quality control data (measurement value of the quality control sample) sent from the plurality of facilities includes a method of calculating an average value directed to only the data of the day, and a method of calculating an average value directed to the data generated in a fixed period of time. In addition, the quality control sample also includes an exclusive sample for a particular testing device or a general purpose sample for any testing device irrespective of a manufacturer and a model as far as the testing device is used in a certain testing field. Further, when the quality control result is viewed, different display methods are employed depending on the aggregating method and the kind of the quality control sample.
However, conventionally, there exists no system capable of handling a plurality of different methods relating to quality control. Meanwhile, when a system capable of performing the quality control by a plurality of methods is constructed, the system becomes complicated and convenience and operability of the system may be deteriorated. Accordingly, in such a case also, new technical means is desired to prevent the deterioration of the convenience and the operability of the system.